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As the holiday season approaches, it’s time to start thinking about those festive desserts that everyone looks forward to. Whether you're sticking with the classics like a moist pumpkin bread or a warm apple crisp, or venturing into something a little different like an astonishingly easy (yet delicious) Nantucket cranberry pie, there's something for every sweet tooth. As the creator of Once Upon a Chef, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite holiday treats that will have guests coming back for seconds (or thirds).
After all, what’s the holiday season without a little indulgence?
Pumpkin Bread
Kids love it, grown-ups love it … this pumpkin bread is hard to beat!
Servings: Makes 2 loaves
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 15-ounce can of pure pumpkin
Preheat oven to 325°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease two 8 x 4-inch loaf pans with butter and dust with flour (alternatively, use baking spray with flour in it).
In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk until combined; set aside.
In an electric mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium until just blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in pumpkin.
Add flour mixture and mix on low until combined.
Turn batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly, and bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn loaves out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Nantucket Cranberry Pie
This is pure holiday magic — a delightful mix of pie, cobbler and cake that’s easy to whip up.
Servings: 8 to 10
Base
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
• ⅔ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup granulated sugar
Topping
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sparkling or turbinado sugar, for topping
Preheat oven to 350°F and set the oven rack in the middle position.
Base: Add melted butter to a 9-inch deep-dish pan; swirl around to grease sides. Spread cranberries and pecans evenly in the pan; sprinkle with sugar.
Topping: In an electric mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar on low until combined. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extracts; beat until smooth. Beat in flour and salt until evenly combined.
Pour batter over cranberries and pecans in the pan, using a spatula to spread evenly. Sprinkle the top evenly with sparkling/turbinado sugar. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. (The bottom of the dessert will remain gooey, so just check the cakey top.)
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or topped with unsweetened or lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Apple Crisp
Apples bubbling under a crunchy oat-pecan streusel, this rustic apple crisp is the ultimate fall dessert.
Servings: 8
· ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
· ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
· ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
· Pinch salt
· 6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter cut into ½-inch dice
· 1 cup chopped pecans
· ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
· 2½ pounds tart baking apples (about 5 large), peeled, cored and sliced ¼-inch thick
· Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F; set an oven rack in the middle position.
In a food processor, pulse flour with brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar and salt until combined. Add the butter; pulse. Transfer crumbs to a bowl; stir in the pecans and oats.
Generously butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the remaining 6 tablespoons of granulated sugar.
Transfer apple mixture to prepared baking dish; cover with oat topping. Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until the apples are tender when pierced and topping is toasted. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies
Soft and chewy with a crackled sugar crust, these gingery molasses cookies are loved by kids and adults alike.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
• 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup of unsulphured molasses, such as Grandma's Original
• ½ cup raw sugar (aka turbinado or demerara sugar), for rolling cookies
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and black pepper.
In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat butter and granulated and light brown sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses. Add flour mixture and mix until combined. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two 13 x 18-inch baking sheets with parchment paper.
Form heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in the raw sugar to coat generously.
Arrange dough balls about 2½ in apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until puffed and set.
Let cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Is there a festive holiday dessert you tend to make every year? Let us know in the comments below.
